Damn that Dadan! Yushir yelled in his mind as he kept his focus on the faint red light that flew a mile in front of him. Could he not have waited but a few more moments? My touching moment with Arian was far too short! And could he slow down?

  Yushir had difficulty keeping up with his far older immortal friend as they flew through the gap in the mountains caused by the Little Cai River. The road that led into the bear and wolf clan lands petered out into a mountain path, and then completely vanished as the climb became steep enough that one would need to crawl on the ground to keep from falling. The river’s flow was interrupted by steep descents that forced the stream to transform one waterfall after another, creating mist along the winding route of the waters.

  Eastwei landed at the top of the tallest waterfall where a heavy mist shrouded everything ten feet behind the tumbling waters. Yushir landed nearby, nearly toppling over the edge in his eagerness to put his feet on the ground. He waved his arms and flung himself forward where he clutched his heaving chest.

  “Must. . .must you have. . .gone so. . .fast?” the prince wheezed as he stumbled over to his friend’s side.

  Dadan’s full attention lay on the towering wall of white that stretched from the ground and five hundred feet above them. The barrier was so thick that it blotted out the sun and allowed Dadan’s scarlet eyes to glow in the heavy gloom.

  Yushir managed to get a hold of enough air to straighten. He examined the whiteness that blocked their path. “I am sure Lord Wyrmir’s palace should be somewhere around here, though he may not come out to greet us.” He paused and folded his arms as he furrowed his brow. “I cannot fathom what made Lord Wyrmir break the contract of a judge by stealing away the prize. There were few greater sins among the realms than breaking such an-”

  A soft wind blew and cut into a part of the white mist ahead of them. The fog swirled and parted, revealing a huge plateau upon which rested a massive fortress. The whole structure had been carved from the very stones of what had once been a giant pointed hilltop. Towers pierced the sky and parapets capped the two-hundred-foot-high walls. There wasn’t any entrance gate and the center where there should have been a courtyard was covered by a massive dome that hid the interior of the keep.

  Yushir looked over the place and clucked his tongue. “I still cannot fathom why someone who lives alone would desire such a large home.”

  “The fortifications guarantee I will be left alone.”

  The creaking voice startled Yushir enough that he jumped. He whipped his head to the left where a bit of fog remained. Lord Wyrmir emerged from the mist, his hands clasped in front of him. His long fingernails glistened in the weakening light of the sun and his glassy eyes stared at them without blinking.

  There was never a more fitting god to remain in solitude Yushir thought to himself even as he plastered a smile on his face. “Greetings, Lord Wyrmir. We have come-”

  “For the goddess,” Wyrmir finished for him as his pale eyes settled on Dadan. “You cannot have her just yet.”

  Dadan narrowed his eyes at the ancient god. “What do you intend to do to her?”

  “I intend to retrieve answers.”

  “Answers about what?” Yushir persisted.

  The old snaky god tapped the long fingernails of one hand over the top of the other. “I have no record of this goddess. I must learn why.”

  Yushir breathed a sigh of relief and a genuine smile graced his lips. “Is that all? Then we will save you the trouble you might have had and tell you that this goddess is from another world, therefore she would not have a record in ours.”

  Wyrmir’s glassy eyes fell on Yushir and the prince had a hard time not shuddering. “Her origin is inconsequential. All the names of those who will ever have eaten the fruit of the Diyedi Tree are in my book. She should not exist. I will discover what magic wove her into existence.”

  Something in the god’s tone piqued Yushir’s interest. “And how will you do that?”

  “By unraveling her existence, if I must.”

  Yushir’s mouth fell open. “But that would destroy her!”

  “Then so be it.”

  Dadan darted forward with a movement almost too quick for Yushir to follow. He thrust out his hand and meant to grab the old god by the throat. Wyrmir narrowed his eyes and a shimmer of translucent light shot up from the ground. The barrier arched over and around the entirety of the massive fortress. Dadan’s hand slammed into the magic and made the whole wall shudder. The fiery god’s hands burst into flames and he slammed his fists into the barrier. The flames were absorbed into the wall and the blockade thickened.

  “Eastwei!” Yushir cried out. “Enough!”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  The prince’s shouts were enough to give Eastwei pause. He stepped back and glared at the impassive snake god.

  “You cannot break my barrier with your magic, Lord Eastwei,” Wyrmir warned him as he stared at the furious immortal. “You should leave here and never return.”

  “You cannot do this, Lord Wyrmir!” Yushir protested as he hurried up to Eastwei’s side. “She is a prize in the fight! You have no right to her!”

  Wyrmir lifted his chin slightly and his eyes flickered with a faint glint of annoyance. “My duties are greater than the judgment of a simple duel.”

  “Give her to us,” Eastwei demanded.

  Wyrmir’s sharp gaze returned to Eastwei. “I wonder why you would waste your time on this goddess’ life when yours hangs by a thread. Leave my domain and find a better use for your time.”

  The fog that had receded now came back in full force. Wyrmir was swallowed by the mist, as was his fortress. The fog didn’t stop there but raced through the still-standing barrier and pushed against the pair. The chill sank into their bones and diminished Eastwei’s fire magic.

  Yushir clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder and spoke through chattering teeth. “W-we must l-leave here! At once!” Eastwei looked ready to remain until the end of time. “You cannot help her if all your magic is depleted!”

  The fiery god pursed his lips but extinguished his flame. He reluctantly followed Yushir as the pair flew into the air and down the waterfalls. They landed on solid ground at the bottom of the last one where Yushir was glad to shake off the chill.

  “I had forgotten about the legendary unpleasantness of Lord Wyrmir,” Yushir mused as he brushed off a few icicles that had attached themselves to him. He moved his focus to his companion. Eastwei stood facing the wall of water with his eyes lifted to the edge of the precipice high above them. The prince stepped up to his side and leaned forward to catch Eastwei’s eye. “To what was Wyrmir referring when he said your life hangs by a thread?”

  Eastwei didn’t look at him as he spoke. “It was no doubt a warning us.”

  Yushir studied his old friend for a moment before he pursed his lips. “I see. Well, we must certainly figure out a way of getting in there before the lord does something to hurt our friend.” He folded his arms together and set his chin on his chest. “This will not be easy to break his barrier. Lord Wyrmir is one of the oldest creatures in all the realms and holds an immense well of untapped magic. I believe he has not used his magic since before I was born. I suppose you do not know any tales of his weaknesses?”

  Eastwei furrowed his brow and inspiration flickered across his eyes. “No, but there may be someone who can tell us those tales.”

  Yushir’s eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. “Of course! Lord Dandruh! He holds all the records of the gods’ exploits! He may very well have-hey!”

  Eastwei didn’t wait for his friend to finish his speech but flew up into the air. Yushir quickly followed, and their blue and red balls vanished into the distance.

  A pair of keen eyes watched from the misty battlements of the shrouded keep. Wyrmir followed their movement until they disappeared, at which point he turned and proceeded down the steps into the central area covered by the translucent dome. The center of the fortress was nothing but a barren patch of dirt with winding stone steps in the middle. Those steps wound their way into the solid foundations of the keep.

  A faint greenish glow emanated from the moss that covered the wet walls. The garish color accentuated his pale face as Wyrmir made his way down the stairs. The winding steps led him deep into the bowels of the hill nearly to the bottom of the falls.

  The stairs opened into a huge cavern with a domed roof that hovered a hundred feet above the bottom of the steps. A murky moat of greenish water lapped against the walls some two hundred feet apart. The stairs led across a long bridge to an island in the center. A table stood in the middle, and atop that table lay Anna. Leather straps bound her to the top but that didn’t stop her from struggling.

  “Let me go!” she demanded as she thrashed about. “Why are you doing this?”

  Wyrmir stepped up to the table and his cold, glassy eyes made her freeze. “You are a sacrilege to the order of the world, an anomaly that must be studied and, if necessary, discarded.”

  Her eyes widened. “What are you talking about? I’m not even from this world!”

  “Then you should not have come here,” he mused as he brushed a hand over her body. A faint greenish glow flowed from his palm and settled on top of her.

  Anna gasped as a bone-chilling cold sank into her bones. Then the pain started. A horrible, wrenching pain as though someone tugged at every muscle and every bone in her body. She shut her eyes and clenched her teeth, but the agony was too great. A scream was ripped from her, one that echoed off the walls. Her silver strands of light flowed upward like flowers forced out of the good earth.

  Wyrmir closed his fingers around a silver thread and drew his hand back. His green light ceased but the pain lingered in every fiber of her being. Her breath came out in horrible, sharp gasps.

  Wyrmir turned his hand over and opened his fingers. The silver strand floated off his palm and tried to dip back into Anna’s body. He caught the strand, but the magic faded the moment he placed a small amount of pressure on the strand. He was left holding nothing but dwindling starlight.

  The god’s eyebrows crashed down and he glared at his captive. “Why can I not hold your light in my palm? All the magic elements in the world are mine to befriend, and yet I cannot even hold yours.”

  She shook her head. “I. . I don’t know! I don’t know anything about my magic!”

  Wyrmir lifted a hand. The moat water bubbled up and slithered into the air in thin, towering strands. The muck dripped onto the stones and faint murmuring moans echoed around the cavern.

  “Do you hear them?” Wyrmir whispered as he examined her whole body. “Immortals who have had their lives extinguished, and yet here you lay a mockery to their magnificence. One who is unworthy of their legacy and who holds magic that rejects my comforting touch.”

  A barking laugh escaped her. “Comforting? You’re trying to rip out what I don’t even know how to get out!”

  The room grew dark and cold as the green tendrils stretched over her. Anna shrank away as they cast their long shadows over her. Wyrmir’s voice echoed in her mind as the world around her was swallowed in darkness.

  “Then we will have to bring it out of you.”